Michigan
Big Ten Championships
Wolverines Claim Sixth at Big Tens
3/6/2016 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 6, 2016
» Adam Coon fell to Ohio State's Kyle Snyder, 7-4, in the heavyweight final; Alec Pantaleo, Brian Murphy and Domenic Abounader all claimed third place.
» Six Wolverines earned automatic bids to the NCAA Championships; at-large selections will be announced Wednesday (March 9).
Site: Iowa City, Iowa (Carver-Hawkeye Arena)
Event: Big Ten Championships (Day 2 of 2)
U-M Team Standing: 6th Place of 14 Team (89.5 points)
Next U-M Event: Thu-Sat., March 17-19 -- at NCAA Championships (New York, N.Y.)
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The No. 8-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team placed seven individuals, including four among their weight's top three, en route to sixth place (89.5 points) on the second and final day at the Big Ten Championships on Sunday (March 6) at Iowa's Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Wolverines also earned six automatic qualifiers for the NCAA Championships.
Junior heavyweight Adam Coon was the Wolverines' top individual finisher, taking second place at heavyweight with a 3-1 record. He dropped a 7-4 decision to Ohio State's Kyle Snyder in the championship finale after giving up a takedown in each period. Coon was close to scoring himself on a single in the first period but could not keep Snyder in bounds. He pushed the pace in the third period, before Snyder iced his win with a low single late in the frame.
The Wolverines claimed all three of their third-place contests, earning back-to-back decisions from sophomore Alec Pantaleo and junior Brian Murphy at 149 and 157 pounds, respectively, before junior Domenic Abounader secured a dominant major decision at 184 pounds.
Pantaleo, seeded fifth at 149 pounds, claimed his second win over former NCAA champion Jason Tsirtsis of Northwestern in tournament, scoring points in each period to widen the gap with an 8-4 decision. Pantaleo struck midway through the first frame, spinning behind Tsirtsis' front headlock for the initial advantage, before adding a two-point suck in the second and schuck in the third to earn 1:02 riding-time advantage. Pantaleo also earned his second tournament win against Rutgers' Tyson Dippery in the consolation semifinals, icing a 4-1 decision with a late double-leg takedown.
Murphy, seeded sixth at 157 pounds, used a rideout in the tiebreaker to defeat Iowa's fifth-seeded Edwin Cooper, 2-1, in the third-place bout. After a scoreless first period, Murphy was ridden for 1:26 in the second period but managed to tick down Cooper's riding time below a minute in the third. He escaped quickly in the tiebreaker -- in just nine seconds -- and held on for a full 30 seconds in the second set, nearly earning a near-fall count. Murphy earned bonus points in his morning consolation semifinal, pinning Ohio State's fourth-seeded Jake Ryan in a cradle at the 5:24 mark.
Abouander, the top seed at 184 pounds, rolled to an 11-0 major decision against Rutgers' fifth-seeded Nick Gravina in his third-place bout, scoring a reversal and six back points off a second-period leg turk before adding a single-leg takedown in the third. He accumulated 1:40 in riding-time advantage. Abounader was close to bonus points in his morning consolation semifinal with a 9-2 decision against Illinois' Jeff Koepke, scoring on two takedowns, two near-fall points and 2:42 riding time. Abounader has placed top three in all three of his Big Ten appearances.
Graduate student Max Huntley, seeded fourth at 197 pounds, also won his final bout, bouncing back from a tough consolation semifinal loss with a pin against Rutgers' seventh-seeded Hayden Hrymack in the fifth-place bout. Despite controlling the entirety of the bout, Huntley held just a narrow lead in the third period before using a crusher to drive Hrymack to his back and earn the fall at 5:52. The bonus points proved pivotal, moving the Wolverines past Illinois into sixth place in the team standings.
Senior/junior Conor Youtsey, seeded seventh at 125 pounds, dropped both of his day-two bouts to claim sixth place, including a tough 6-3 defeat to Indiana's fifth-seeded Elijah Oliver on stall points -- despite scoring the only takedown of the contest. He posted a 3-3 record at the tournament.
The Wolverines will take a two-week break to prepare for the NCAA Championships, scheduled for March 17-19 in New York, New York. Michigan will send at least six wrestlers to the national event and have an opportunity to add another when NCAA at-large selections, seeds and full brackets are announced on Wednesday (March 9).
Final Team Standings
1. Penn State 150.5 2. Iowa 127 3. Ohio State 126 4. Nebraska 117 5. Rutgers 106.5 6. MICHIGAN 89.5 7. Illinois 88 8. Wisconsin 67.5 9. Minnesota 51.510. Purdue 3411. Indiana 30.512. Northwestern 11.513. Michigan State 10.514. Maryland 7.5
Michigan Results (Day 2)
Numbers listed are tournament seedings
125 Pounds -- #7 Conor Youtsey
Consolations - dec. by #4 Tim Lambert (Nebraska), 7-1
Fifth Place - dec. by #5 Elijah Oliver (Indiana), 6-3
Finished in sixth place with a 3-3 record
133 Pounds -- #8 Rossi Bruno
Ninth Place* - dec. by Dom Malone (Northwestern), 7-3
141 Pounds -- George Fisher
Seventh Place - pinned by #6 Anthony Abidin (Nebraska), 4:56
Finished in eighth place with 1-3 record
149 Pounds -- #5 Alec Pantaleo
Consolations - dec. Tyson Dippery (Rutgers), 4-1
Third Place - dec. #4 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern), 8-4
Finished in third place with a 4-1 record
157 Pounds -- #6 Brian Murphy
Consolations - pinned #4 Jake Ryan (Ohio State), 5:24
Third Place - dec. #5 Edwin Cooper (Iowa), 2-1 TB
Finished third place with a 4-1 record
184 Pounds -- #1 Domenic Abounader
Consolations - dec. #7 Jeff Koepke (Illinois), 9-2
Third Place - major dec. #5 Nick Gravina (Rutgers), 11-0
Finished in third place with a 3-1 record
197 Pounds -- #4 Max Huntley
Consolations - dec. by #2 Brett Pfarr (Minnesota), 8-2
Fifth Place - pinned #7 Hayden Hrymack (Rutgers), 5:52
Finished in fifth place with a 3-2 record
Heavyweight -- #1 Adam Coon
Final - dec. by #2 Kyle Snyder (Ohio State), 7-4
Finish in second place with a 3-1 record
* additional matches for NCAA automatic qualifying bid; weight class qualifies nine
Communications Contact: Leah Howard
Players Mentioned
